Celebrating Ma & Pa Railroad Sundays in June

A small, defunct railroad that still has a big following will be the focus of presentations at the Old Line Museum in Delta, Pa. each Sunday in June from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Baldwin resident Jerome Murphy started the Ma & Pa Railroad Month in 1976. The first meetings were held at the Peach bottom railroad station.

The Maryland and Pennsylvania railroad line, know as the Ma & Pa, formed in 1901 and ran a 77-mile route from Baltimore to York, Pa. There were 27 station stops, including Towson, Baldwin, Long Green, Glen Arm, Bel Air and Forest Hill. The train also stopped on an as-needed basis at 31 flag stops.

Many farmers called it the Milky Way because it transported milk from their dairy farms into Baltimore. At its peak, the line had 16 locomotives, 160 rail cars and a crew of more than 100 workers to maintain the track.

The Ma & Pa carried mail until 1954, when passenger service and mail deliveries were discontinued. Four years later, the Maryland section was closed. The Pennsylvania portion operated until the 1980s.

The following speakers and displays are scheduled:

June 3 - Walter Holloway, whose grandfather was an agent at the Bel Air station will present photos and memorabilia.

June 10 - Richard Bradley will talk about and display scale models he built of the train station and buildings in the town of Castle Fin, Pa.

Mike Schmitz is currently working on HO scale model of the Baldwin, Md. train station. He will demonstrate how to make trees for models.

June 24 - David Baur will talk about predecessors to the Ma & Pa.

"We encourage anybody out there who has photos or memorabilia from the Ma & Pa's days to bring them in to the museum," said Murphy, whose uncle was the stationmaster, postmaster and general store owner at the Long Green station in the early 1930s.

Murphy will bring photos displays that will change weekly.

There is no charge to visit the museum, but donations are welcome. The Old Line Museum is at 602 Main St, Delta, Pa. For information, call Murphy at 410-592-7491 or the museum at 717-456-7124.